Two large Midwest dairy cooperatives, Prairie Farms Dairy and Swiss Valley Farms, have entered into a merger agreement.

The contentious conversations around dairies and water these days are long passed keeping cows out of the creek; they have evolved into a complex conundrum of concerns over water scarcity and ground water impacts, according to David Crass, partner and industry group chair for agribusiness, food and beverage with Michael Best and Friedrich LLP.

At the 2016 Vita Plus Dairy Summit, attendees heard straight talk from a panel of consumers on where and what they buy and what drives their food purchasing decisions, and they learned about building trust and operating with transparency from Charlie Arnot with the Center for Food Integrity and Andrea Bloom from Vita Plus.

Kids in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, got a special treat when they got to meet Santa Claus at the MilkSource Genetics show barn for the “Santa Comes to the Farm” event sponsored by the Outagamie County Farm Bureau and the Outagamie Dairy Promotion. Bill Harke, director of public affairs for MilkSource Genetics, tells us all about it.

Research reveals that families tend to postpone difficult communication, particularly topics that involve multiple generations of a family, like caregiving. This delay of tough discussion often leads to poor decision-making, especially during times of crisis.

In St. Albans, Vermont, Santa traded in his sleigh for a tractor at the third annual holiday tractor parade on Friday, Dec. 9. Crowds gathered to watch the parade of over 45 farm tractors decorated for the season with holiday lights and more as they made their way from the farm fields to Main Street.

The holidays are upon us. For most people, this means more family gatherings, holiday parties and of course, food. Lots and lots of food. For dairy farmers, all of these seasonal activities make the days even busier since the cows don’t take the holidays off.

I have been a part of the Jerome, Idaho, FFA chapter since I started high school. The first thing that got me interested in this student-led organization was the Dairy Foods Career Development Event (CDE). Despite my dislike for science and original lack of interest in the dairy industry, I immediately fell in love with this CDE.

In January, the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) is kicking off the first-ever Alfalfa Checkoff – U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative. The new checkoff is a farmer-funded investment in alfalfa-related research to help drive innovation and profitability in the alfalfa industry.

Betty Rose Young Elliott never planned to be a trailblazer. When she married Lee Earl Elliott in 1942, she was a 17-year-old city girl who moved to the family’s dairy farm and promptly began raising children and gardens.